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• v  make (images or sounds) soft or softer
• v  lessen in force or effect
• v  give in, as to influence or pressure
• v  protect from impact
• v  make less severe or harsh
• v  make soft or softer
• v  become soft or softer
• s  toned down
• s  being or made softer or less loud or clear

• My boys went wild for the veal, meatball and pasta stoup, as she calls it, and, like her audience, were quickly softened to putty in her kitchen-confident hands, disarmed of their .
• Breillat suffered a cerebral hemmorage a while back; that hasn't stopped her career but it has slightly softened her tone.
• The war between the church and Communism had long since softened into an edgy coexistence, and the fierce old freedom fighter had become less a hero than an embarrassment.

• soften
• dampen
• damp
• weaken
• break
• yield
• relent
• cushion
• buffer
• mince
• moderate
• dull
• muffled
• muted

• sharpen
• stand
• harden

News & Articles

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• Golf-Korean Kim grabs early lead at U.S. Women's Open
  June 28 (Reuters) - South Korea's Kim In-kyung took advantage of greens softened by overnight rain to hold an early three-shot clubhouse lead in Friday's second round of the U.S. Women's Open in Southampton, New York. Despite gusting winds and several tough pin positions at Sebonack Country Club, Kim produced some pinpoint approach play as she fired a three-under-par 69 to take control of the ...
  June 28, 2013 - Reuters via Yahoo! News
• Dirk Nowitzki ‘as Close as it Gets’ to Hating the Miami Heat
  For Dirk Nowitzki, the Miami Heat remain a thorn in his side. Having faced the South Beach boys twice in the NBA Finals, Nowitzki says his feelings haven’t softened . Per ESPN : “In life, I don’t really hate much,’ Nowitzki said Friday.
  June 28, 2013 - Slam
• Thanks, teachers, but shut your traps - Fri, 28 Jun 2013 PST
  Once again, the mask of “educational reform” has slipped to reveal its real face: anger toward teachers. Anger toward teachers – always prefaced, conditioned, softened and front-loaded with B.S. – is perhaps the single biggest factor motivating those who don’t want to pay for schools. Every now and then, this might slip our minds as we listen to the rhetoric of “reformers” – who talk about ...
  June 28, 2013 - The Spokesman-Review

Quotes

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• Gerard Kleisterlee in BBC News
  Chief executive Gerard Kleisterlee said the results reflected the unprecedented "speed and ferocity with which the economy softened in 2008".
• Phil Mickelson in USA Today
  A disappointing day, obviously,Mickelson said. "I didn't play very well, and it was a day where there were some low scores out there. The greens were soft, the rain softened the course, and I thought there were some low scores. I just...
• Don Nelson in Washington Post
  I've learned over the years,Nelson said. "I've softened a bit through some of the experiences I've had. I look back at the time when Chris and I were here early in our careers. We were both pretty stubborn and I was maybe too tough and he...